Dates That Matter

Lech Walesa, a worker in a Polish shipyard, began trying to organize a trade union to lobby for workers' rights. His actions brought him under surveillance from the Communist government in Poland at the time. In 1981, he was elected President of Solidarity, a trade union. The government declared martial law and banned the trade union, but Walesa continued to work underground for workers' rights, and in 1983 was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts. After the Communist regime fell, he was elected President of the new Republic of Poland in 1990.